Once upon a time, a little fir tree watched the other trees around it in the forest. One day, a rabbit came hopping through the woods, noticed the little fir tree, and simply jumped over it. The little tree felt very embarrassed.
The next day, a group of women passed through the forest and saw the little tree. They laughed and called it “the forest’s baby.” Again, the little fir tree felt ashamed. Every day, it tried its best to grow tall like the other trees, but no matter how hard it tried, it remained small.
One day, a stork flew over to the little fir tree and said, “The tall trees are being cut down to build ships. They will become the masts that hold the white sails.” After the stork flew away, the little fir tree felt sad. It wished it could be a ship’s mast too.
Months passed, and as autumn arrived, the little fir tree saw some of the tall trees being cut down. Some sparrows nearby chirped, “These trees are being taken inside houses to be decorated for Christmas!” The little fir tree longed to be decorated too.
And one day, its wish came true. On Christmas Eve, the little fir tree was cut down and taken to a house not far from the forest. Inside the warm home, the parents and children began to decorate the little tree. They adorned it with candles, colorful apples, toys, small baskets of sweets, and a golden star on top. The children loved the tree and excitedly talked about the treats and toys around it.
Then they all gathered around and listened to a jolly man tell the story of Frost. Soon, the festivities ended, and everyone went to bed. The little fir tree was so happy, believing that the fun would continue the next morning. But it was mistaken. Instead of more celebrations, the house servants took the little tree to the storage room. The little tree felt very sad and lonely.
Before long, a group of mice came to investigate this new object in the storage room. The little fir tree was delighted to see them and even shared the story of Frost. But some of the mice were unkind and said, “Your story is silly!” The mice left, and once again, the little tree was left feeling sad and alone.
As time passed, the once-beautiful fir tree grew dusty and brown. But in the spring, a young boy carried the little tree from the storage room out into the yard. The little tree feared that the family was going to throw it away. But it was wrong.
In the end, the little fir tree was replanted. It was so happy to be back in the forest among the other trees. Suddenly, it realized that the young boy had taken it out so it could live longer and grow strong. Every year, the family dug it up again and decorated it. The little tree was so grateful for its new family and was finally happy.
